The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-06-15
The South Before the War.

Gen. ID. 81. Hill, of Georgia, (by the
way, brother of the late w. R. and A.
P. Hill, of Mississippi, men of note in
their lives) delivered a speech st the
dedication of Confederate monument
in Baltimore on the 9th, in which he
paid no less true than eloquent tribute
to the old South. 1t was on the same
line of thought with the paper recently
published in The CLARION from the
pen of DR.. B. F. Ward, and which has
given his name worldwide fame. We
have space for the following extracts
from Gen. Hills speech.
He said:
"My subject is the old South, the
South of pure women and brave
men, of Washington and Jefferson,
of Carroll and Rutledge, of Mar
shall and fancy, of the pickneys of Ma
ryland and South Carolina, of Andrew
jackson, of Winfield Scott, of Decatur,
McDonough and Tatnall; the generous
and magnanimous old South. Veterans
of this Association, l will speak of the
old South, for which we fought, and
for which many of our comrades laid
down their precious lives. will tell
you, young people, of the South which
has passed away, that you may admire
and initiate whatever was grand and
noble III its history, and reject whatever
was wrong and defective. The scandals
| that have brought shame on the Ameri-
can name occurred when the old South
was out of power No official from the
old South was ever charged with
roguery; no great statesman of that
period ever corruptly made money out
of Office. The people of the North be
came money-getting from the situation
The South had but few ports. 1t had 6
climate well suited to the African, an6
a soil well adapted to produce thos,
things which the world most needed
Hence slavery was maintained and ag
riculture fourished."
After discussing the inventions of tn,
South, and the part she played in thu
history of independence and the frs
eighty years of the Constitution, h.
spoke of the proves and bravery o
Southern men in the Union and Confed
crate service, the disparity of numbers
and resources in the South, and the in
debtedness of the nation to the oil
: South. In conclusion he said:
"Time was when the South hatin
philanthropists denounced the Constitu
ton as a covenant with death and
a league with hell, gotten up by the slav
power in the interests of slavery. Blu
> in 1861 the philanthropists experience
g a change of heart, and ever since hav
3 talked of the Constitution as tina
sacred instrument that bulwark O
freedom etc. l am glad of their COZ
e version. suspiciously sudden though
/ was, and | hope they will never ia
g from grace. They used to tell of tn
;, cruelty and brutality of shareholders
their slaves, and said they had reduce
II the negroes to the lowest state of ignt
o rance, barbarism and beastiality. Blu
# in the reconstruction period they unde
went radical change of views, and di
covered that these negroes were nc
IS merely enlightened enough to be fire
n men and voters, but also to be Unite
e States Senators and Representative
- foreign Ministers, Consuls and Marshal
e Governors of States, Judges and men
T. bers of state Cabinets. l am glad tn
Is the Old South had trained its slaves
l. carefully for these high and responsib
. offices. l love to hear the praises of Il
Z wonderful deeds of Mcclellan, Gran
r, Meade sDd Hancock, for if they we
IS such great warriors for crushing wit
n. their massive columns the thin lines
= ragged rebels, what must be said CO LIE
'o the two Johnstons, Beauregard ar
5. jackson, who held millions at bay f
N four years with their fragments of sha
r owy armiesw Applause.